Most Venerable Bhante Walpola Piyananda's 80th Birthday Celebrating - Collected Essays
Collected Essays of Bhante Walpola Piyananda Celebrating His 80th Birthday. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Nayake Maha Thera has chosen to dedicate his life to sharing the teaching of the Buddha in the Western World, knowing that it has so much wisdom to offer; not an easy task for someone coming from a foreign background. However these articles reflect his ability to make a great impact on the American Community. He has helped many people and monks new to this country in many ways throughout the years, He has helped these monks to establish Dharma Centers in various parts in this country. Venerable Walpola Piyananda is an extraordinary monk and dharma teacher who exemplifies wisdom, compassion and selflessness. He has made a profound impact on numberous individuals and communities worldwide through his teachings and service. On his auspicious 80th birthday, I express my deepest gratitude to Venerable Walpola Piyananda for his remarkable contributions and limitless love. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Thero has been a pioneer in establishing Theravada Buddhism in America and developing knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma through radio and promoting education to uplift the children of his native Sri Lanka. As a Theravada monk, he has manifested a sense of caring with wisdom and compassion by providing hospitable spiritual and physical shelter at his Los Angeles monastery. Bhante, as he is affectionately known, is a teacher with a great breadth of interests spanning from the origins of Buddhism to how Western people could apply the teachings, Dhamma, into their daily life. I have known Bhante since we were students at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)…. This edition of his collected works is an important contribution for Western readers.
Collected Essays of Bhante Walpola Piyananda Celebrating His 80th Birthday. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Nayake Maha Thera has chosen to dedicate his life to sharing the teaching of the Buddha in the Western World, knowing that it has so much wisdom to offer; not an easy task for someone coming from a foreign background. However these articles reflect his ability to make a great impact on the American Community. He has helped many people and monks new to this country in many ways throughout the years, He has helped these monks to establish Dharma Centers in various parts in this country. Venerable Walpola Piyananda is an extraordinary monk and dharma teacher who exemplifies wisdom, compassion and selflessness. He has made a profound impact on numberous individuals and communities worldwide through his teachings and service. On his auspicious 80th birthday, I express my deepest gratitude to Venerable Walpola Piyananda for his remarkable contributions and limitless love. Ven. Walpola Piyananda Maha Thero has been a pioneer in establishing Theravada Buddhism in America and developing knowledge of the Buddha Dhamma through radio and promoting education to uplift the children of his native Sri Lanka. As a Theravada monk, he has manifested a sense of caring with wisdom and compassion by providing hospitable spiritual and physical shelter at his Los Angeles monastery. Bhante, as he is affectionately known, is a teacher with a great breadth of interests spanning from the origins of Buddhism to how Western people could apply the teachings, Dhamma, into their daily life. I have known Bhante since we were students at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)…. This edition of his collected works is an important contribution for Western readers.
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guidance to all those who seek peace, fairness, and environmental
stability. She developed a holistic model based on Buddhist principles,
bringing them forward into our modern world.
One day a poor Brahmin came to the Buddha and said, “Master
Gautama, I am a poor person and am going to a distant city seeking
a job with a view to earning some wealth. Will you kindly give me
some instruction in order to become successful in my job?” The Lord
agreed and instructed him on the way to success in his work. Some
time passed and the Brahmin returned as a man of riches.
Now let us see what the Lord said concerning the accumulation
of wealth. One day the Buddha addressed Anathapindika, a lay devotee:
“Householder, there are five merits of earning wealth and what
are the five?
“A wealthy person can live a healthy, happy and long
life supplying all his needs. This is the first merit of the wealth.
“A wealthy person can look after his parents when
they are sick or old or in need of his support. This is the second merit
of the wealth.
“A wealthy person can support his wife and children
supplying all their needs. This is the third merit of the wealth.
“A wealthy person can help his relatives, friends,
servants and others. This is the fourth merit of the wealth.
“There are recluses and priests who have given up
household life and devoted their time for higher religious practices. As
they depend on the support of the laity, a wealthy person could support
them and become a sharer of their virtues; it would conduce him to
be born into a happy state after death. This is the fifth merit of the
wealth.” (p.45 Ang. iii)
In the Mangala Sutta the Buddha expounded 38 blessings of
which ‘To look after parents’ is an important one which is mentioned in
the sutta. The next one is “To look after wife and children is a blessing.”
“To treat the relatives and friends is another blessing.”
The Buddha advised his followers to work for the well-being
both of oneself and of others.
One religion holds, “It is hard for a rich man to enter heaven.”
But according to Buddhism, it is easier for a rich man to enter heaven if
he properly spends his wealth fulfilling his duties. It is not wealth but
miserliness and other wrong ways that obstruct the way to heaven. So
the Buddha said: “Certainly the miserly cannot go to heaven (whether
they are rich or poor).” (Samyutta, Devata)
The Buddha praising the wealthy that are generous said: “The
generous rich man gives or helps others and enjoys himself, too, and is
praised here and will go to heaven after death.” (Samyutta, Devata)
Now about the question “How should one earn wealth? What
has the Buddha said about it?” Instructions for being successful in
earning wealth, as expounded by the Buddha, have been mentioned in
detail in many a discourse like Ujjaya-Sutta, Vyagghapajja-Sutta, and
Sigalovada-sutta.
One day Vyagghapajja, the Koliyan, asked the Lord for some
instruction concerning success in life here and hereafter. The Lord
instructed him on how to be successful and happy in both the lives.
To be successful in business and other affairs in this life,
the Buddha said that a person should be endowed with four things,
namely Utthana-sampada, arakkha-sampada, kalyanamittata and
samajivikata. Utthana-sampada means ‘achievement of indefatigable
effort. A business man should be energetic and active. He should try to
live close to nature, not fearing slight cold, slight heat, slight rain and
the like. Sometimes he may fail in his effort, due to obstacles, but by
that he should not lose his courage. He should try over and over again.
At last he will be successful. At every step, the Buddha said, he should
be mindful, far-seeing and cautious.
‘Arakkha-sampada’ means ‘the achievement of wariness.’
This implies that one be careful in keeping what one earns from being
wasted. The Buddha said there were many ways which would bring
decay to one’s wealth and therefore one should be careful and vigilant
in keeping one’s wealth. Sometimes fire or flood and the like might
consume his wealth. Sometimes one’s ill-disposed heirs would try
to take away one’s wealth. If one falls into bad habits of gambling,
debauchery in sex and drunkenness, before long one would be dragged
down to poverty. One should follow a righteous government, otherwise
one’s wealth might possibly be forfeit. As there are some many ways
to a person’s degradation, they must be vigilant and very careful in
keeping their wealth from being wasted.
The earner should be possessed of a ‘Kalyanamittata’ which
means ‘to have good companions who instruct, help and encourage in
carrying out his business. Suppose he could not find good companions,
he should be careful not to fall into association with persons who
follow evil ways. It is better to keep oneself to oneself and carry out
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